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Chapter 5: The Execution
Knifez, Florence, Sam, Joos, May, Bella, and Chloe are gathered in a small, dark room, facing someone sitting at a desk. The desk has a crystal ball on it and the person behind the desk has a concerned face on. May: I have gathered everyone I could at this small hour. What have you seen that's so urgent, Foreseer? Chloe: I wish we got royal fortune tellers in Frar. Bella: I wish I believed fortune tellers so we could have one in Tost. Foreseer: I have seen a terrible tragedy in the very near future. You must all be very careful at today's execution. Knifez: What exactly did you learn? Foreseer: When the future reveals itself to me, it's never in specifics. All I know is that you mustn't let your guard down today. Something terrible is about to happen. Florence: It couldn't be anywhere near as bad as that one royal ball where Knifez cross-dressed. Knifez: Wh-what? You said you wouldn't tell anyone about that! Joos: Excuse me? Chloe: Oh my god, I remember that! With the skirt and the... Florence: Yeah! I almost forgot you were there. Knifez: I was young and stupid. Sam: I think we'll definitely have to hear more about this when we have the time. Joos: I agree. Foreseer: I wish I could be as jolly as you guys. Just remember to be wary. Knifez: Right. I'll keep my men armed to the teeth. Joos, Sam, Flo, be sure to tell everyone to bring their best weapons. Sam: Right. Joos: You've got it. Florence: Yessir baby brother. May: And I'll post more guards around every entrance. Foreseer: Thank you, Honorable Exalt. The sun is starting to set many hours later and the main hall of the castle is crowded with guests, guards, and armed Shepherds. May sits at her throne, surrounded by the royalty from other nations. In the center of everyone is a chopping block, a tall man with gray skin and completely white hair, and a warrior holding a large axe. May stands before addressing the war criminal. May: Esh-Ban of Tost. You stand accused of genocide on a massive scale. Your actions have destroyed an entire nation and its peoples' way of life. May motions to a woman standing next to her. The woman has what looks like huge, floppy ears sticking out of her head. May: Thanks to you, the entire population of The Domain has been eradicated, save for this poor Taguel at my side today. Your punishment for these transgressions is death. At these words, the warrior escorts the tall man to the chopping block, forces him to his knees and readies his axe. May: Any last words, Esh-Ban? Esh-Ban: Feh! The Domain. If I was from anywhere but Tost, you wouldn't be so hard on me, now would you? May: We would treat you the same way if you were part of Waydrn's royal family. These war crimes are inexcusable. Esh-Ban: Likely story. Joos: (I don't like this. It sounds like he's stalling.) George: (Yeah, it's cuz he knows here in five minutes, he's gonna be toast. Toast from Tost! Get it?) Joos: (...Yeah, I get it.) Green: (Bella, do you feel that?) Bella: (What is it?) Green: (The ground's starting to—) Suddenly, the castle starts violently shaking as an earthquake rattles the entire city. High above the castle, the fleeting light of day reveals what looks like a ripple in the sky itself. The ripple quickly becomes a massive tear in reality. Hundreds of people drop from the hole in the sky and plummet to the ground, shattering the glass ceiling of the palace's main hall. The people have a deathly purple skin tone and their eyes glow blood red. They roar a sickening, non-human roar and start tearing into people with their weapons. The visitors scream and run as a guard escorts May out of the room. The Shepherds immediately jump into battle. Knifez: We'll take care of these...things! Florence, you get DJ and Chloe to safety. George, you escort Green and Bella somewhere safe as well. Green: Like hell! Knifez: What? Green: We can fight too! Bella: Yeah, my pegasus has been itching for a fight for the longest time. DJ: I'm well-versed in the art of the sword. I'll join in too. Chloe: I'm still only a healer, but I'll stand with you guys. Knifez: Alright. Shepherds! Fight these things and don't let Esh-Ban get away! A boy jumps into the fray, cutting down the monsters quickly, despite them having more stamina and resilience than regular humans. Knifez: Civilian! Get out of here! ???: What? No way! I'm helping defend Waydrn too! Knifez: What? Why? I don't recognize you. ???: Sometimes you don't need a reason besides the fact that you live somewhere to wanna protect it, you know? Knifez: Fine, just don't get yourself killed. ???: Name's Chase by the way. The woman with the ears jumps into battle as well, seemingly unarmed. Joos: Hey, get out of there! You're gonna get hurt! ???: Hee hee, watch this! The woman is enveloped in a bright light and emerges as a giant rabbit-like monster. She roars and rips several monsters to shreds. When she speaks, her voice is louder and has more of an echo to it. ???: This is the power of a Taguel! Joos: Holy shit, that lady turned into a weasel-monster! ???: That's rabbit to you! And it's Signele, okay? The battle rages on. The Shepherds cut down monsters by the dozens and frantically search for Esh-Ban in the process. During the fight, Green's wyvern inadvertently knocks over Eddie. Eddie: Oh god damn royals and their stupid overgrown bats! Monsters surround Eddie with their weapons raised. Before they can swing their weapons, DJ slices one of their heads off. The defeated monster dissolves into purple dust. DJ: That was close! Get up, we've got more fighting to do. Eddie: Right... Meanwhile, Chase starts to get swarmed by the monsters. He's valiantly cutting them down, but whenever he kills one, another takes its place immediately. A monster jumps at him with an axe and swings it... ???: WATCH OUT! A blue-haired youth wearing a green headband and a red cape jumps in the way and blocks the attack with an ornate sword. Dakota watches the boy start to struggle against the weight of the axe. ???: Help! Dakota shrugs and leaves, not recognizing the boy, while Chase is too shocked to lend a hand. ???: Oh, god damn it. HELP! Suddenly, arrows seem to sprout from the skins of the warriors around the boy and Chase and they all dissolve. ???: Thanks. Pika: No problem stranger! The boy leaves Chase's side, looking for more monsters to fight. Chase: Hey, wait! I wanted to thank...well, he's gone. Finally, the monsters' numbers start to dwindle and the battle slows down. When it seems like all the monsters have been cleared out, the Shepherds regroup, asking about what just happened while Grace and Chloe heal everyone's injuries. Knifez: So, Signele and Chase, huh? Signele: Hi there! Chase: That's my name, don't wear it out. Knifez: That was some excellent fighting out there today. Why don't you join the Shepherds? Chase: As long as you pay me for it. Knifez: A sellsword, huh? Chase: I prefer the term mercenary. It sounds more badass. Signele: I'll be glad to join! Esh-Ban needs to pay for wiping out my people. Knifez: Shit! I almost forgot. Did anyone find him during the battle? The boy who saved Chase interrupts. ???: He's gone. Knifez: How do you know? Before the boy can answer, the man with the axe who escorted Esh-Ban to the chopping block enters the conversation. ???: Yep, he escaped. I tried to keep an eye on him. I really did. Knifez: You did fine. We'll just have to find him. ???: I want to come with you. It was my job to execute him, and I intend to see justice delivered one way or another. Knifez: Feel free. What's your name? ???: The names Kjeld. I'll only be with you as long as it takes to bring Esh-Ban down. Knifez: Understood. The boy in the headband turns to leave before Chase grabs his arm. Chase: And what about you? You saved my life. Can I at least know your name before you leave? ???: ...My name is Ike. And I'm leaving now. DJ: Where did you even come from? I've never seen you before. Green: Wait, Ike? As in, the Radiant Hero of legend Ike? Ike: I don't have time to answer questions, and you don't have time to be asking them. All I'll tell you is that those things are called Risen. They're like zombies, but far stronger, and there's way more of them out there. They busted Esh-Ban out and you have to find him, or else something even worse will happen. Knifez: How do you know all this? Ike: That's all I can share with you for now... Good luck. Ike runs off as May enters the room again. May: Is everyone alright? Grace: We're a little beat up, but we're not too bad. Florence: Esh-Ban got away. May: I was afraid of as much. Looks like The Foreseer was right. Knifez, you must track him down. Knifez: I'll get on it yesterday. May: Thank you. As for the rest of the royals, I will send you home with the greatest escorts I can provide. Bella: Hell no. May: ...What? Green: We're gonna help track him down! What kind of Tostian nobles would we be if we ran and hid when things got bad? No, we're coming with. Chloe: I'm afraid we're gonna have to turn down your offer as well. DJ: We can't be the weakest link again. We're coming with you. Florence: God, he's hot. Chase: He kind of is, wow. Florence: Hey, you're new. You're not allowed to be hitting on people already. Joos: You should talk. Florence: I should! Signele: Oh, I'm coming with! May: Are you sure, Signele? He killed everyone on your continent. Signele: Yes, which is why I'm gonna see to it he gets caught no matter what. Plus, I could use some travel. May: Alright. Well, I wish you all the best of luck on your journey. Bring him back alive if you can. If you can't, I understand. Knifez: Alright, so it's settled. We move out as soon as everyone is able and not a second later. Let's head towards Tost. He's likely to have gone back to his home country. Everyone: Right! > PARALOGUE 1: FROM SICKLE TO SWORD < SUPPORTS Current Party The Shepherds *Knifez. Lord. Captain of the Shepherds and Prince of Waydrn. Treats his men firmly but fairly. *George. Dark Mage. A harrowingly optimistic Waydrnite who loves bad jokes. *Grace. Cleric. An affectionate and cheeky Shepherd with a possessive streak. *Joos. Tactician. A traveler with no memory of the past, but a gift for tactics. *Sam. Tactician. The Shepherds' original, no-nonsense Tactician. *Florence . Lord. A Shepherd and Knifez's sister. Always ready to lend an ass-kicking. *Jimmy. Cavalier. A quiet Shepherd who knows exactly when to get to work. *Pika. Archer. A peppy Shepherd, always ready to follow her Tactician's command *Josh. Mage. A meticulous, methodical Shepherd with just a bit of whimsy. *Dakota. Thief. A formidable Waydrnite thief with a grim outlook on things. *Eddie. Thief. A Waydrnite thief who thinks big and dreams bigger. *DJ. Myrmidon. A noble from Frar who knows his way around a sword. *Chloe. Troubadour. The downright kindest Noble Frar ever did see. *Green. Wyvern Knight. A funloving Tostian dracoknight. Has a penchant for stabbing first and asking questions later. *Bella. Pegasus Knight. A Tostian “noble” whose love of her country is rivaled only by her love of her horse. *Chase. Mercenary. A Sellsword with a love of tall tales and romance. *Kjeld. Fighter. An executioner who just wants justice to be served already. *Signele. Taguel. Last surviving inhabitant of The Domain. Also a giant bunny sometimes. Information *This chapter was originally posted to the Total Drama Writers' Forum here. Category:Chapters Category:Story